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Quad ESL 57 are there better speakers out there??

28 years of searching i never imagined i would find heaven at long last. So realistic so present so alive. After 25 years of searching for the time machine that can transport me back to the very moment the recording was made, and have me standing there next to the musician I have found it.

Feed it glorious amps like my audionote p4 signature monos and the jadis jps1 pre all headed by the very first DAC that was ever made the TDA 1540 in the form of the Revox B225 and join this to the best speaker i have ever heard and you are there at the finishing line.

NO Bass crap, bring it right out into the middle of a large room fgive space to breath put it on heavy metal stands remove the oak feet and put a couple of ebony pucks underneath and you will never look back. Well thats how I feel right now.

People who have lived with quads set up properly with high quality equipment need only respond.

Let me know what you think , and what is the next best step stack them in pairs??

Who would believe the two of the oldest technologies could make hifi sound so real????????
audiojoy4
bachtovinyl
27 posts
 
I had a HQD stacked set-up that was amazing. I now have a pair of 57s. I still have the 18" Hartley in a 7' teak enclosure but can't use it because of space considerations. The difference is nothing short of stupendous. The 57s are wonderful without the Hartley but world-class with it. Congratulations on finding the Quads-- they are keepers.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
quad 57 is the least timbrally inaccurate speaker in its range, period. i owned 4 of them for 7 years. if they didn't not arc, i would have them today.

too many of the current production speaker systems, especially cone-based designs sound "false" compared to the quad 57.

if one doesn't own a quad 57, another panel speaker may suffice.
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 
I have heard many loudspeakers that best old quads but if you like why even ask if better loudspeakers exist.You dont want an honest answer, just folks to agree that old quads are the best and maybe for you they are but not for me...
donaudio
129 posts
 
This really dates me but back in the seventies Mark Levinson sold a system called the HQD. This was made up of stacked Quads with Decca supertweeters in the middle. The H might of stood for Hartley, I don't remember but I tried to make my own. I had two pairs of Quads and bought the Decca and then had a carpenter make a stand. Then I had two 9' transmission line enclosures built and put two KEF woofers in for the bass. Talk about audionirvana. I moved to a condo and didn't have room for it anymore but it was awesome.
mothra
110 posts
 
the answer to your question regarding my mastering response is that the quads technically are not full range or clincal enough to hear every little annoying detail one would want for mastering. Nor can they take high SPL to turn them up loud.

For listening, they are great and I have a pair, so i understand what you are saying and how you feel about them.
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